“People are always curious about the celebrities we drive,” Jim Dolen of Magnum Tours said. “Of course we have to be very discreet. Whatever happens in our cars stays in our cars,” he said.

While Magnum Tours has driven many a bold face name, you don’t have to be famous to get good service from the Napa Valley tour operator. “All of our guests get treated the same, no matter who they are,” Dolen said.

Dolen started his transportation business nine years ago. “We are more a concierge service than limo service,” he said. “We provide experiences in the wine country,” including winery tours and restaurant stops, he said.

Magnum Tours is known for its connections at smaller wineries, Dolen said. “We try to get people into places they would never find on their own.”

Which three people would you most like to have dinner with?

Jack Nicholson, Ernest Hemingway, and “The Most Interesting Man In the World” — the guy in the Dos Equis commercials.

What job would you like to try/not try?

Try: I always thought I would make a great police officer/detective. I love to help people in peril, and I think it is an honorable profession without which we would be in total chaos. I also have a habit of observing everything around me. 

Not try: Skydiving instructor. I am not very fond of heights, and would rather be on the ocean at sea level.

How did you get into this business? 

I had a promotion at the restaurant I was running called “Limo Night” where we would pick one table from a hat and that guest would get the use of a limo for an hour after dinner that night. The owner of the business talked me into taking over his business and the rest is history.

I can’t live without ...

My son, parents and girlfriend. By making me choose an order, you have effectively hung me out to dry.

What was your first job?

Bus boy at L’Ermitage restaurant in Los Gatos. It was very much a fine dining restaurant, with very demanding and professional waiters. You would be fired if a guest were to have more than one cigarette butt in an ashtray. They taught me when it came to service, there was no cutting corners. 

Whom do you most admire in the business world?  

Hands down, Thomas Keller. I have never met anybody who works as hard, invents perfection that has not existed and at the same time manages to empower his employees to be the best they can be. He is also so very good to the people that he does business with.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?

Provide more benefits for my great employees. Without them, Magnum Tours would not have the reputation that we enjoy.

What was your childhood ambition? 

Professional baseball player. I have become friends with a lot of them. I am jealous of being able to play a game for a living.

If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?

Mediterranean Sea on a Grand Banks Yacht.

What other business person(s) would you like to see featured in “10 Questions?”

Bradley Reynolds, general manager of Auberge du Soleil. Nobody works harder as a hotel general manager than Bradley.

Sean Knight, managing partner at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, Go Fish and Mustards Grill.

More from Jim Dolen

What’s the worst job you ever had?  

Restaurant general manager. I loved the camaraderie but the hours versus pay were insane.

What’s the most significant project you’ve been involved with in your career? 

I was the opening general manager of a restaurant in Manhattan Beach, and literally went from construction project to finished project, and was responsible for every aspect of it, including hiring and training 135 people.

What’s your favorite gift to give?

A smile. I believe a sense of humor is paramount to living life the right way. I love to make people laugh, and love great sarcasm.

What’s something people might be surprised to know about you? 

I have two cats who follow me around like dogs when I am at home. Most people don’t believe a big guy could have such a soft spot.

What is your favorite charity?

Auction Napa Valley. I believe ANV does such a great job of keeping the money local and help those that truly are in need. 

What’s one thing Napa could do to help local business? 

Get away from these anti-business laws such as having to get a permit to replant an existing vineyard etc.  I think we have gone way too far in creating paper work and permits/fees. I once had to build an upstairs bar wide enough for a bartender in a wheelchair, even though we did not have an elevator. It is time to streamline government, not add to it. 

What’s on your to-do list? 

Get married/learn to scuba dive. I hope to retire six months per year to a boat on the Sea of Cortez. 

What is one thing you hope to accomplish in your lifetime that you haven’t yet? 

I hope to be able to give back more. My business keeps me tied up for most of the year, but someday I would like to find a way to contribute more than my taxes to society. 

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?  

I think I can speak for all small business owners in that the recent economic downturn has been worse than even 9/11 as far as business goes. 

Each Wednesday, the Napa Valley Register’s Business Focus asks “10 Questions” of a local entrepreneur or businessperson. Readers are welcome to suggest business people to be profiled.To suggest a candidate for “10 Questions” e-mail: jhuffman@napanews.com